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The four chapters in this part describe how to install and delete application software and how to install system software patches.
Chapter 12 provides an overview of the installation process, introduces the package commands and the Software Manager for installation, recommends policy for installing software on an application server, and describes how to access files from a CD-ROM drive.
Chapter 13 describes how to use the package commands to administer application software and how to set up the users' environment.
Chapter 14 describes how to use the Software Manager to administer application software.
Chapter 15 describes how to use the patchadd and patchrm commands that are now bundled with the Solaris 2.6 system software to administer system software patches.
When you support a network that provides application software to users, your responsibilities include the following tasks:
This chapter introduces the package commands and Admintool—two alternative ways to install and manage application software. It also describes how to set up an application server and access files from a remote and a local CD-ROM drive. Chapter 13 describes how to use the package commands. Chapter 14 describes how to use Admintool. Although you can install application software on a user’s local system, the information in this chapter describes how to set up the software on an application server and share the files so that they are available over the network to make software administration and upgrades easier.
With Solaris 2.x system software, installation is managed by packages of information. A software package contains the components of a software product that are delivered on the CD-ROM installation medium. The components typically contain groups of files such as compiled programs, files, and installation scripts.
Software packages are installed from the CD-ROM onto a system, and are removed from a system, in one of the following ways:
NOTE: Before the Solaris 2.5 release, Software Manager, accessed with the swmtool command, provided the graphical tool for adding and removing software. With Solaris 2.5 and 2.6 releases, Admintool, accessed by using the admintool command, provides the same capability. If you use the swmtool command on a Solaris 2.5 or 2.6 system, it starts Admintool.
You can use the package commands and Admintool interchangeably. For example, you can install software by using Admintool and remove the software by using the pkgrm(1M) command. Alternatively, you can install software by using the pkgadd(1M) command and remove that software by using Admintool.
In the Solaris 2.6 release, new patchadd and patchrm commands are provided to support adding and removing patches from a Solaris 2.x system. You cannot use these commands to manage patches on a Solaris 1.x system. For more information about these commands, see Chapter 15, “Installing and Managing System Software Patches.”
You manage software from a command line by using the commands shown in Table 12-1.
| Task | Command |
|---|---|
| Set installation defaults | vi(1) admin(4) |
| Create a script to define installation parameters | pkgask(1M) |
| Install software package or store files for installation at a later time | pkgadd(1M) |
| Check accuracy of installation | pkgchk(1M) |
| List installed packages | pkginfo(1M) |
| Remove packages | pkgrm(1M) |
These tasks are described in detail in Chapter 13.
Admintool is a graphical user interface tool that you can use to perform the same tasks that you would perform from a command line by using the package commands. You can group packages that are slated for install using Admintool into clusters for easier administration. Admintool calls the package commands to perform the requested functions. Figure 12-1 shows the Admintool: Software window. Refer to Chapter 14 for instructions on how to use this tool.
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Figure 12-1 The Admintool: Software window.
You can view more detailed information about each package by clicking on a package to highlight it and then clicking on the Show Details button. Figure 12-2 shows the details for the SUNWpcr package, which is part of the new SunSoft Print Client software available in the Solaris 2.6 release.
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Figure 12-2 Package details for the SUNWpcr package.
Although SunSoft recommends a policy on how to create packages for installation, some software products from application vendors provide their own installation scripts. The installation scripts may call the package commands to perform setup and installation of the software. Always read the installation instructions from the vendor to make sure that you follow the vendor’s recommended installation procedure.
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